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Pixar did it again. Most of you will probably have seen their previous films like Monsters Inc. or The Incredibles (as superhero fans you should at least have seen this one) and are probably by now familiar with the unique perspective of the Californian creative team. Their movies combine adult and child friendly entertainment in a way that is never dull for either side. So it is no surprise, that WALL-E does again just that.
Of course not only the children among the viewers will respond to the cute and cuddly look of the little robot protagonist, but that’s not what makes WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class) so unique. He is the last of his kind on the planet Earth and he passes his time by compressing waste to little cubes, which he stacks on top of each other in order to create enormous structures. While the other robots of his class seem to have stopped working over the years, WALL-E has managed to stay “alive” by repairing himself. Over time he also seems to have developed a personality and he has started to collect trinkets of all kinds in his hangar. All is normal in the mechanical workers life, when suddenly a spacecraft appears out of nowhere and releases another robotic unit on the earth’s surface and WALL-E’s repetitive life suddenly takes a surprising twist.
As I said before, not only the visual component is responsible for the movie’s success, but the creators are also trying to raise awareness by tackling an important question of our everyday lives. What happens to all the waste we produce everyday and where will it lead us if we don’t start to pay attention to our environment? Sure, the movie will not give a perfect answer to these questions and it will only graze the surface of the real problems, but at least it has a message in it, which most entertainment directed at children seems to lack these days.
The only thing one might reproach the movie is the lack of dialogue in the beginning. It sadly dumbs down the whole experience a little even if it fits the story. But that’s not really a big deal and all in all WALL-E is one of those films you can show your kids without a speck of doubt on your mind. And of course the humor and stunning visuals will also keep the adults entertained for many viewings. Two thumbs up!
WALL-E at the Internet Movie Database
WALL-E at Rotten Tomatoes
There is a new X-Men animated series on the horizon called Wolverine and the X-Men and I managed to catch a sneak peek. As the title already suggests, Wolverine will actually be the star of the show. Everything starts out as a normal day at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. We see several X-Men training at the facility, when Xavier and Jean Grey both seem to have a seizure and suddenly it is one year later for Wolverine. So the previous four minutes were only a flashback of what happened at the academy and we are now alone with Logan, who is on the road. When a train derails, Wolverine comes to the rescue of a little girl. He colapses after pulling her from the train and only the girl’s family helps him, but due to the nationwide hunt on mutants he is quickly betrayed by one of the bystanders, who calls an organization called MRD. Wolverine escapes with the family, but they are arrested soon after for helping a mutant. So Wolvie goes to find Beast and tries to rescue his new friends.
I must say that I was positively surprised by the pilot episode. There are a lot of different X-Men in it, and the premise is very different from any other show revolving around the mutant heroes. The team is scattered, hunted by the government and feared by everybody. Wolverine takes it upon himself to regroup them all and probably fight against the opression of the MRD. Visually, the show is stunning and most importantly the voice acting is really good. They even pay attention to accents, giving Nightcrawler a German and Colossus a Russian accent. Shows like Batman The Animated Series have proven a long time ago, that it pays off to have world class voice actors and that it is also worth the risk to draw a slightly darker vision of the superheroes’ world. Wolverine and the X-Men does just that. The dystopian view presented in the show is interesting enough to keep the viewers come back for more.
Yesterday I had the pleasure to see Kung Fu Panda at the movies, and I thought I’d share some of the thoughts I have about it. First off, this is the newest Dreamworks Animation movie, featuring the panda Po, who tries to become the greatest Kung Fu warrior of all times. He enters the school of the red panda Master Shifu, who has trained five students of his, for one of them will become the Dragon Warrior, the best fighter in the world, in order to defeat the evil snow leopard Tai Lung.
The animation is stunningly beautiful and the movement of the characters is well done, even if it becomes a bit blurry during high-speed fight scenes. However, the strongest point of the film is not the art, but rather the genius of Jack Black, who lends his voice to the slightly overweight panda Po. His side comments and the way he manages to accurately portray the difficulty Po has in the beginning of his training, make this movie so much fun to watch. The story on its own is nothing special and some of the training sessions and fight scenes even reminded me of several Kung Fu flicks I saw as a child. Jack Black is however not the only famous actor on the cast, others being Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu and many more.
Once again Dreamworks managed to unite families in front of the screen, as the humor has enough room to entertain both children and their parents alike. It will probably not beat Pixar’s highly acclaimed WALL-E at the box-office, but then again that is not the point. I can only recommend it, so have fun and remember: “Everybody was Kung Fu fighting…”
I just got my hands on an early copy on the newest DC Universe Original Animated Movie : Batman – Gotham Knight. The movie is supposed to be a tie-in between the live action motion pictures Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Gotham Knight is split into 6 short animation movies directed by 6 different anime masters, a concept similar to The Animatrix. They fit together as a whole story but have different styles and character designs. A special bonus is that WB once again got Kevin Conroy on board for this project. He is, and always will be, the voice of Batman in my opinion. His work on Batman the Animated Series, should speak for itself.
The animation of Batman – Gotham Knight is done by famous anime studios like Studio 4C (Tekkon Kinkreet, The Animatrix), Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell) and Madhouse (Death Note). I have to say that I personally like the style of the shorts “Crossfire” and “Deadshot” best. Their Batman just looks so incredibly bad-ass and tough, while the incarnation in “Field Test” was not really to my taste. Still, the 75 minute movie sports some of the best animation you can possibly get. Just like in the comics, it is interesting to see how different writers and directors envisage Batman’s exterior and character. As for the villains in this animation: the Scarecrow returns and the Killer Croc and Deadshot get their first appearance. On the side of the good guys we are introduced to Detective Anna Ramirez (who will also be in The Dark Knight) and Detective Crispus Allen (who is an important character in today’s DV Universe).
The special edition of the DVD will include several documentaries and four episodes of Batman the Animated Series (“Heart of Ice”, I Am the Night”, “Legends of the Dark Knight”, “Over the Edge”). This latter addition to the package is especially interesting here in Luxembourg, as the series has only been released in the U.S. and in the UK until now. Warner, we are still waiting!
I have to say that I was blown away when I first watched the animated special. The Anime style is unusual for a western comic adaptation but it fits like a glove and turns this into a must see for any Batman fans. The appearance of the more unusual (yet still canonical) foes will probably alienate those fans who only know Batman from the live action movies. Still, I think everybody who really loved Batman Begins and is planning to see The Dark Knight, should not miss out on this gem.
“I’m willing to put my life on the line to do what I have to. But it has to be mine, no one else’s.” – Batman: Gotham Knight
Story 9
Art 10
Re-watch value 8
Overall rating 9/10
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